World Cup And PUBLIC Stripes

June 22nd, 2010

“Pretty classy look, but that one striped sock is going to make us a global laughing stock.”Uni Watch, on the US uniforms

Around the PUBLIC office most of us are big fans of the World Cup. One of our staff even set off last week to join the fun in South Africa. There is no rational way to explain our exuberance. We don’t chat about every soccer match, and we don’t suit up to play on weekends. But the truly international and democratic nature of the event is irresistible. The World Cup is so thoroughly optimistic. Where else can North Korea and Germany get equal media coverage without political bias? Where else do we even hear about Cameroon or Slovakia? The World Cup is full of engaging cultural subplots. One of them is aesthetic – the uniforms themselves are celebratory and controversial. The US stepped out a bit this year with some quirky stripes that have been turning heads.

We are big fans of stripes also. Our obsession goes back to childhood memories: goofy socks, Dr. Seuss hats, summer beach towels, surf mats. Stripes drew us to the zebra and skunk over other beasts, because they seemed to insert fantasy into the natural world. These guys were not afraid to be themselves. And they appeared on fun stuff like candy canes. Stripes also appear in an array of authoritative applications: highway markings, referee shirts, military badges and flags. Serious design personas from Paul Rand to Paul Smith have been equally obsessed with stripes. Stripes pop up just about everywhere you look.

PUBLIC Stripes

We’re selling lots of items with stripes: bikes, socks, bags and more. One of our most popular items has been our Nutcase Helmet with PUBLIC colors and stripes. This pleases us for a couple reasons. First, helmets are usually a clumsy but necessary piece of gear for most riders. They are often unflattering to most faces and hairdos. But these simple helmets tend to complement most faces, while protecting the coconut. (They meet all the rigid safety standards set down by the CPSC.) Beyond that, stripes on helmets bring out smiles in the public, and whenever we can contribute to some visual pleasantry in the world, we should do it.